Feline Good

by Lana Kole

  Maya arched a brow at his smooth actions. “You seem to know your way around.”

  A sly grin beamed from his tanned face. “Yep. We retain knowledge in our cat forms, so these past several years, we’ve grown to know this place as well as you do.”

  She bristled at the thought, but his hesitant smile told Maya he hadn’t meant anything by the comment. It had been Maya, after all, who had poured her blood, sweat, and tears into this little bar, but she still turned a haughty expression to him, and he immediately held up his hands in surrender. “So you do remember things from your cat form?” She remembered his fluffy ass following her into the shower.

  “You were pretty intoxicated last night. I just wanted to make sure you were okay this morning, that’s all. Though... from the sounds you made while you were dreaming... well, I’d say you’re doing purrfectly fine, hmm?”

  A blush colored her cheeks at the memory of her very vivid, very sexy dream.

  “Perhaps, but it wasn’t necessary to stick around while I stripped and showered. Since when can you shift at will, anyway? From what you told me last night, because I possess the amulet, I tell you when to shift, and I most certainly don’t recall asking you to turn last night.”

  Amir grumbled a response as he joined them in the kitchen. “No, you only initiate the first shift. Once we turn back to human, we can control the shift from that point forward.”

  Maya nodded, holding off on any more questions until she had a cup of coffee in her system. As if she’d spoken the request aloud, Asher sat a steaming cup in front of her, along with two packets of sweetener. She rolled her eyes at the realization they most likely knew every intimate detail of her life, while she was in the dark when it came to them.

  She doctored her coffee and decided to remedy that little issue. “So, tell me about yourselves. I’m sure your personalities differ from when you were cats.”

  August had joined them in the kitchen by the time she finished her statement, and in sync, they turned to her, all with matching arched brows. August spoke first, despite the hesitance that colored his tone. “Are you okay? Last night you seemed ready to throw us out, and now you’re acting like Nancy Drew, all ready for more clues?”

  Maya thought back to just how often she’d left the TV on upstairs for Tubbi to watch.

  Shaking the thought loose, she purposefully waited until Amir took a sip of his coffee before answering, “Well, I’ve been seeing the future for twelve years, so I decided this really isn’t that far out of the realm of possibility as I first thought.”

  Amir spit his coffee out, ruining the shirt she’d loaned him, and she couldn’t contain her gleeful cackle at the reaction. He turned a glare in her direction, but she shrugged it off.

  “You’ve been doing what?” Asher barked the question at her from by the stove, until she arched a brow at him, and he apologized with a nod. After he repeated his query in a calmer tone, she decided to answer.

  “Mom loved to weave, and it’s one of the fondest memories I have of her. She died when I was only eight, and it took me three years to work up the guts to attempt the loom. Several months later, once I had it down... I received my first vision. I only see things when I weave.”

  They exchanged glances again as Asher deposited breakfast sausages onto the plates spread out. Maya chuckled to herself at the way he moved around the kitchen, cooking sausage, bacon, biscuits, and gravy. Quite a lot of food... and she almost commented on the heaping piles adorning three of the dishes, but she refrained. They hadn’t tasted human food in quite some time, so she’d cut them some slack.

  August sat beside her, facing her and resting his temple on a fist. “Asher always thought you just got stoned before you started weaving. You would just zone out for… sometimes hours. Was that when you would see visions?”

  “Yeah, it wasn’t only the future though. I see the past sometimes too.”

  Another questioning look was passed. “You did? What did you see?”

  Maya cleared her throat as gory images flashed through her mind. “Ah…” How did one gently share what she was about to? “I saw my parents die.” She flitted her eyes around the room to avoid seeing their pity, but it was too late.

  August’s eyes fluttered closed in sympathy as he grabbed one of her hands from around her coffee mug and held it tightly. His hand was warm around hers, distracting her from the pain of the memory with a flare of heat. The thoughts of her dream, warm skin and drugging kisses, flashed through her mind, and she quickly pulled her hand away.

  “Hayaati, I am so sorry.” August’s soft voice trailed through the room, while Amir just growled. The sizzle of bacon in the background accompanied their pity while she searched her mind for something else to talk about.

  Amir’s shirt caught her eye again, and she latched on to the potential subject change. “We should go find you guys some clothes today.”

  A hard stare from him was met with an equally stubborn gold gaze as Maya refused to back down from the challenge. He conceded with, “Fine. If you would care to take us to First Bank, we need to get a key, and then we will go from there. But afterwards, we need to help you find the amulet. Those guys were here for a reason, so we need to protect it—and you, as soon as possible.”

  The rest of breakfast was served quietly, and they ate in much the same fashion, until Asher spoke up. “You know, as strange as all of this seems, it makes sense if you think about it.”

  Maya peeked up from where she’d been picking at her food. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you know Neith was the patroness of weavers. She actually wove time on her loom.”

  Eager to add to the theory, August chimed in, “Yes! It makes sense that the first female Guardian is a weaver, just like Neith, the Goddess of Time, who started it all, literally. She was the creator of the world.”

  No pressure or anything…

  A flutter of unease wormed its way through Maya. “I’m still not sure about all of this. The whole chosen destiny thing…” Her brain seemed to be working slower than usual, because his words registered with her just then. “Wait, there’s never been a female Guardian before?”

  With a shake of their heads, all three of them denied it as Asher voiced, “Nope. Not to our knowledge.”

  Maya took a deep breath to steady her racing heart at the new information, swallowed another sip of coffee, and hit them with another question. “So, what does that mean? For the amulet?”

  With a scowl furrowing his brows, Amir answered, “We have no idea. I’m guessing nothing? Although we can say, you’re the first Guardian to possess any sort of ability.”

  Maya reflected on that information, with too many questions rising for her to sort out. Not knowing where to even start, she pushed it all away and enjoyed breakfast in silence. Her eyes widened in disbelief when August rose from his seat to get seconds… with half a serving still left on his plate. A smile twitched her lips as he returned, but she shook her head when he sent her a questioning glare.

  So totally cats.

  As they finished eating, Maya’s curiosity got the best of her again. “So, brothers, yes? Tell me more about yourselves.” It peeved her that they seemed to have all this insider knowledge of her life, yet she knew nothing about them.

  They shared a nervous glance, and Maya noticed Asher seemed uncomfortable talking about himself. Instead, he directed the conversation toward August and Amir. “Well, I’m the oldest here. Amir is the middle brother, and August is the baby.”

  At the baby comment, August slung a fist into his bicep, but Asher shrugged it off with a grin. He was sinfully good looking, those glacier kissed eyes capturing her gaze every time.

  Another thing called Maya’s attention, so she pressed, “Your family came from Egypt, then?”

  When they nodded, mouths full, she continued her interrogation. “So, August, how come your name is so different? It’s so… American.”

  The guys shared a laugh before August turned to her. “I forg
et about that sometimes, but, and I mean this seriously, my parents ran out of favorite names when it came to me. I was born in August so… it’s kind of what they landed on.” He shrugged, pushing his empty plate away and curling his hands around a mug of coffee. “Our parents were more like The McAllisters than the Bradys.” At her droll look, he continued, “They weren’t the… best role models, per se.”

  Starting to regret owning a TV, Maya frowned at his words, dipping a piece of bacon in the gravy. “What do you mean?”

  The brothers shared an empathetic look, and Maya could definitely see the resemblance between the three of them. Amir took over the story with a dark look in his eyes. “Our dad left when I was ten. Asher was fifteen, and August five. Let’s just say things took a wrong turn, and we were basically on our own, left in charge of ourselves. We banded…” He trailed off with a stern look in Asher’s direction. “Together, took care of one another, and survived. Then, fourteen years later, we were changed into cats because the previous Keepers died.”

  This was new information for Maya, and her heart rate picked up. “Wait, so this is a life bond type thing? If I die, will you die?”

  Am I now responsible for keeping you alive?

  August’s solemn nod brought on a whole other round of questions from her. “How did you know all this stuff about Time Keepers and Guardians and all that? Did your dad leaving have anything to do with the Keeper thing?”

  August smiled patiently at her, brushing a lock of chestnut hair away. “We’re Keepers of Time. Not timekeepers. When we shifted for the first time, Bastet herself visited us in a vision, explaining a little about why. From what we understand, our dad might have known about it, but if he did, he never said anything. When we did change, we each received a vision from Bastet explaining a little bit about our role and telling us of the safety deposit key, which will lead us to more information.”

  Maya nodded in approval. “Then yes, let’s go get that key as soon as possible. I’m tired of being in the dark.”

  While they cleaned up from breakfast, Maya stepped into her office to call Theo, her second in command, even if she’d never admit it to the cocky bastard.

  He answered with a laugh, and she heard Chris’ voice in the background. “Hey Maya, what’s up?”

  She gave him some bullshit story about a family emergency and how she wouldn’t be able to open the bar. Once he heard the nervous, frazzled tone in her voice—which was one hundred percent real—he jumped at the chance to step in for her.

  “Theo, you’re the best, you know that?” Maya was being dead serious as thankfulness filled her heart. She could hug him if he were in front of her.

  “Oh, I know. I’ll be sure to remind you of that when it comes time to give me a raise.”

  Maya rolled her eyes. Theo made the most of any employee in the bar, besides her, and she was the owner. They chatted for a few minutes before they decided the bar could open one hour later than normal.

  Her odd family heirloom taken care of, she set off with the guys to find the nearest First Bank.

  Maya sighed as Asher returned to the car. Like they had requested, she’d driven them to First Bank, where they apparently were opening a safety deposit box. The guys had explained to her that for each set of Keepers, a house was set up by servants that hailed from the bloodlines of ancient Egyptians, just like they did. Just like she did. Inside the box was none other than a house key to the residence. Asher told them so when he flashed the shiny metal at them. Once there, they could access the libraries kept there. On the way over, they’d informed her that some trios went their entire lives without shifting into human form and therefore never needed the house. Like the last set of cats—that her dad had apparently hidden from her. Maya couldn’t imagine being sentenced to that life.

  The library books were exactly what they were after. Maya was hell-bent on discovering more about her own role. A Guardian. The word filtered through her mind, and when paired with a glance at the three muscled men around her, she wondered why they would even need her.

  They look pretty damned capable of guarding themselves.

  As Asher buckled his seat belt, she continued pondering all the information she’d learned so far. Her dad had been the Guardian before her. Maya was a little insulted by the fact he hadn’t left any letters, notes, or information about his role that would be passed down to her. Now, she had to lean on three strangers, trust three strangers, with her life, her bar, and her secrets.

  Maya had been ecstatic when she inherited the bar—it had given her the kick in the pants she needed to leave Alex, to finally see what a controlling asshole he was. This… duty she was now expected to accept and carry on with? All while bad guys pursued her and her life got turned upside down? Maya had no control, and control was the one thing she needed in life.

  It was silent in the car while she was lost in her thoughts. Cats were always so content to sit in peace.

  Maya had never shared with anyone her ability to see the past and future. She had never wanted to risk being thrown in the loony bin, but in her darkest hours, she once questioned if she would one day end up in such a place. No. In her heart, she knew she wasn’t crazy. Instead, because of her ability, she believed every aspect of their story with her entire being. It all made too much sense. I mean, something has to explain their shift from cat to human, right?

  She pretended the ease she felt with their story had nothing to do with the ease she felt with them. Maybe it was the fact that they had been her cats for fifteen years before, but she was more comfortable with them than Maya had ever been with anyone.

  Asher brushed his hair back, distracting her for just a moment from her thoughts, but her musing picked back up. I feel strangely at ease with them. How much of that is because I’m their Guardian—whatever the hell that entails—and how much of it is real? Can I even trust this feeling?

  This comfortableness was already more than anything she’d felt with Alex, and she’d been ready to marry the guy. Well… that was before he’d put her in the hospital a few times. Her gaze trailed to the scar on her forearm.

  Refusing to think about that particular asshole, she followed the directions on her GPS to the address Asher had typed in. It seemed they didn’t know where the Keepers’ home was located. Something about secrecy within the bloodline. She’d scoffed at first, but the address had been attached to the key inside the safety deposit box, and it led them about forty minutes away. When they pulled in, one question sprung to mind.

  “Are you guys fuckin’ rich or what?”

  House was too common a word to describe the... mansion they’d pulled up to. The driveway was a long, paved expanse of concrete lined by trees on either side that ended in a circular drive—of course—with a water fountain in the middle. Two frosted panes of glass framed the huge front door, accented with colored glass. The entire mansion was brick, with black shutters and gold light fixtures.

  A slow whistle pulled her head to the right and she turned to see Asher’s mouth dropped open. She arched a brow at his expression and asked, “Is this not what you were expecting?”

  August answered her from the back, next to Amir. “I don’t think any of us expected this.”

  In unison, they shook their heads in disbelief as the pea gravel crunched under their feet. The three cat-men deftly avoided the sprinkling fountain, and she chuckled as they circled it with a wide berth.

  Amir spoke again, his smooth, deep voice like silk brushing over her skin. “Not at all. We grew up in a... modest home with our family, and this residence is specifically reserved for the Keepers of Time. Since we’ve been cats from the moment we became the Keepers, this is the first time we’ve laid eyes on it.”

  Her mind swirled, a range of emotions washing over her. Maya never even considered, too caught up in her own crisis, that they had suffered also. Spending fifteen years as a cat, with no control over their own life, destiny, or actions? She shuddered at the horror.

  “I’m so
rry. I didn’t realize how difficult this was for you guys.” Her eyes trailed to the ground, staring at her feet. They stopped before the door as shame overwhelmed her.

  A single finger brought her chin up, and she swallowed at the emotions she found in August’s golden eyes. “Never be sorry for the path our pasts led us to. After all, it brought us to you, no?”

  At his words, her shame was swallowed up by a blush, and she avoided his gaze for a completely different reason. August smiled, his white teeth bright against his beautifully tanned skin, and he tugged at his shirt, billowing it out in front of him. It was unusually warm for a wintery February, the sixties creeping high into the seventies today as the sun beamed down on them. It was an odd combination with the scraggly fingers of the tree branches reaching to the sky.

  A chill crept down her spine and unease slithered over her skin. “I think we should hurry, I don’t have a good feeling all of a sudden.”

  “Well, I’m trying. But I’m not seeing a keyhole for this key.” Amir’s grumpy words reached her ears, and she frowned.

  “Are you sure? Why would they leave you a key to a door with no lock?”

  Could nothing be easy?

  “You’re probably not doing it right, let me see it.” Asher reached for the key, and Amir grumbled again.

  “I’m not dense! I know how a key works!”

  “Well, obviously not if you can’t get it in the right hole.” Asher leaned around Amir and paired a wink with his double entendre.

  Maya simply rolled her eyes, content for the moment to sit back and watch them bicker. She could most certainly tell they were brothers.

  A harsh curse sounded, and she sighed as their argument continued. While they searched for the hole, she’d backed up and stood below them on the gravel as opposed to the brick step. A breeze blew, sending blonde tendrils flying into her face, and she sighed at the sight of August’s hair flowing in the wind too.